Before game time tonight, this was looking to be a pretty dark day. All of the major news outlets were saying that the job status of Randolph was day-to-day, his firing looked inevitable, and things overall looked dark for the Mets. Then the Mets played and the front office made a smart move. Over the course of three hours the mood pendulum has swung back to happier times. Have we made it through another dark part of the emotional roller coaster ride? Is this the start of something amazin? Or is this just a teaser before a long dip back into darkness?
Well only time will answer those questions but the way the Mets played tonight, you have to feel that this is a huge step in the positive direction. First, lets focus on the offense, who did it all by small ball tonight. I still feel the bottom of the first was the most important part of the game. The Mets were are down by one, but the players seemed determine to erase the gap and push ahead. Thanks to some hitting and some help by Texas defense, the Mets were able to take back the lead and never look back. That fire, that passion of first inning scoring, is what made the 2006 Mets so good, and is what the 2008 Mets need to take back this season.
The next important aspect of this game was Perez. He got off on a rocky start, giving up a homer to one of the best players in baseball right now. He did something though after, that he has not done for a while. He stopped the damage from that point on. When he got in trouble, he got out of it. For example, when the Rangers filled the bases, he struck out Murphy to get out of the inning. His 7 inning, 1 run, and 8 strikeout performance means that over the last 3 games, Mets starters are 1-0 with 22 innings pitched and have struck out 26 batters over that time. Thats very good. Hopefully Pedro will continue that tomorrow.
I'm also a fan of stolen bases. So, that early double steal made my night. Lets Go Mets!
The Front Office made a great move tonight with Nixon. Before we look at his numbers, we have to look at his play style. He plays hard, he's a gamer, he can be a spark for the Mets. His presence could start something. Momentum wise, this feels like a good move. He got a ring with the Red Sox in 2004. He also has post season experience from 98, 99, 03, 04, 05, and 07. Stat wise, he is a solid player. He has a career .275 BA and a career .364 OBP. He can hit for power, he can drive in runs, and more importantly, he can play the Outfield, and could potentially provide a more pernament solution to the problems in left than Tatis and Anderson, allowing the Mets to have a bench again.
Lets Go Mets!
By The Way:
This was Randolph's career 300th win as a manager. Thats a nice accomplishment, congrats Willie. Heres hoping you win a lot more with the Mets. On a similar topic, at Mets gift shop, I saw them selling Randolph shirts with the #12. I have never seen manager shirt sales, thats really cool. Back when Mazilli was the manger of the Orioles, I really wanted a shirt with his name and number, its a pretty cool and unique item that the Mets make this Randolph shirt. The Mets marketing always amazes me.
